The Importance of Warming Up Before You Exercise

We all know that getting good regular exercise has tremendous benefits for your overall health. However, doing exercises incorrectly can cause injury or make your workout less effective. In order to get the most out of your next trip to the gym, you need to be sure to do some essential things.

Why Do Warm Ups?

One of the most important parts of a good workout, especially a vigorous workout like sprinting or boxing, is to warm up beforehand. This is key to avoiding injury and getting the most out of your workout. Warm ups help to loosen up the muscles and joints you will be using during your workout. If you start doing hard, intense movements without doing warm up exercises, you can get injured more easily.

Examples of Warm Up Exercises

Dynamic stretching is a great example of a warm up exercise that will get you ready for working out. Dynamic stretching is the process of repeatedly moving an area of your body through your range of motion. The types of warm ups you want to do depend on the workout that will follow.

For boxing, your warm up exercises should simulate the motions you will do during your workout. That includes punches, arm swings, shoulder rolls, hip swivels, and leg movements. The key to warm ups and dynamic stretching is to start slow and work your way up. As you loosen up, you can extend the range of your movement and the speed and force you use.

What about Old Fashioned Stretching?

Stretching is important. You just need to do the right kind of stretching at the right time. By doing dynamic stretching before you work out, you can help increase the level of performance and benefit of the exercise. Static stretching, which involves stretching out the muscle near the limit of its capacity and holding it, is typically better done after working out. It can help with recovery and reducing stiffness and soreness. However, static stretching before working out has little benefit and can actually damage the tissue.

Your Next Workout

The next time you head to your local gym for a workout or boxing class, make time for warm ups. By doing dynamic stretching in the form of the movements you will be doing during your workout, you will be ready to go, get more from your workout, and be less likely to get hurt.

Dynamic stretching also gets the blood and adrenaline flowing, so you will be more mentally prepared for your workout as well. You will love how loose you feel and how ready you are for the movements that follow.

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